[Rezension zu:] G. Werner, Was kann der deutsche Bergbau von England lernen?

Emil Lederer’s 1911 review of G. Werner’s Was kann der deutsche Bergbau von England lernen? considers English mining as a model for German industrial relations.

Eine instruktive Schrift des Vorsitzenden des deutschen Steigerverbandes über die Art und Weise, wie im englischen Bergbau die Tarifverträge abgeschlossen und gehandhabt werden.

English translation: An instructive work by the chairman of the German Association of Mine Foremen on the manner in which collective wage agreements are concluded and handled in English mining.

Lederer locates its relevance in Werner’s defense of collective agreements and conciliation boards against mine owners’ objections. He emphasizes solidarity between supervisory staff and workers, including their expectation of an impending confrontation with employers. This alignment nevertheless has limits:

— Im Gegensatz zur Arbeiterschaft beklagt der Verfasser die Ueberfülle der Vorschriften im deutschen Bergbau, die keineswegs Unfälle ausschließe, vielfach bloß Kosten verursache und dadurch eine entsprechende Entlohnung verhindere; er zieht das englische System mit wenig Vorschriften vor, das die Arbeiter zwinge, sich selbst vor Gefahren zu schützen; die Unfälle seien daher auch in England seltener.

English translation: — In contrast to the workers, the author laments the excess of regulations in German mining, which by no means precludes accidents, in many cases merely causes costs and thereby prevents a corresponding remuneration; he prefers the English system with few regulations, which compels the workers to protect themselves against dangers; accidents are therefore also rarer in England.

The review thus moves from shared bargaining interests to disagreement over safety regulation. Lederer reports Werner’s claim that fewer rules could reduce costs, improve pay, and encourage self-protection; he presents the alleged English safety advantage as Werner’s argument, without independently establishing it.